Nearby Theaters

The Moose Jaw Cultural Centre started out as a movie theater called the Allen Theater. When architect James McTeague designed the original building in 1913, it was supposed to be called the Monarch Theater. Due to World War I, construction was delayed and the building was not completed until the Allen Theater Chain took over the project. They named it the Allen Theater which opened on August 19, 1916. In 1922 it became the Capitol Theater. In 1929 the Capitol Theater was upgraded for sound movies.

It remained a single screen theater until 1982. In 1983 two more screens were added and seating was reduced from 910 to 652. The name was changed to the Capitol 3 Theater. As a movie theater the Capitol Theater closed in August of 2001. The theater is now used for concerts and live performances.

When I visited lovely Moose Jaw in the winter of 67-68,I remember two operating theaters.Obviously you got the one,which was the other?Both were near the Simpson-Sears downtown.There was also two theaters in the thrilling burg of Swift Current.One large,one small.There was also a theater at the airforce base near MJ.Canadian bases didn’t have great theaters like some US facilities.I remember one CF theater was a quonset hut.

Beginning in the 1950’s newer recreation centers were constructed on most military bases in Canada. These combined gyms, snack bars, bowling alleys, game rooms, theatres, convenience stores, etc, etc in one large facility. Prior to that many base theatres were often in any leftover structure that could be adapted for the purpose, some dating from the onset of WWII. If you think the theatres were bad, you should have seen some of the leftover WWII barracks. Can you say firetrap?